In contact sports, such as lacrosse or hockey, where sticks are essential elements of the game, a player's hands and wrists are especially vulnerable to injury when being checked by another player's stick. For this reason, players typically utilize padded gloves to protect their hands, wrists and lower forearms during play.
The glove generally comprises a hand portion coupled to a plurality of finger portions and a thumb portion. The hand portion, finger portions and thumb portion each have a respective palm portion and a protective back having a plurality of pads disposed thereon. The gloves typically have a protective cuff that is coupled to a lower edge of the hand portion and extends below the back portion to protect the wearer's wrist and forearm.
The palm portion extends to cover the fronts of the thumb and fingers of the wearer's hand. The palm portion of the glove is formed from a durable material such as leather or synthetic leather. Obviously other suitable materials may be utilized. The palm portion may be reinforced with an additional durable material in high use areas and may also utilize mesh areas in lower use areas designed to provide ventilation to the wearer's hand without significantly affecting the durability of the glove.
The rules in the sports of hockey and lacrosse state that a glove must contain a palm portion that covers the inside of the wearer's palm, fingers, and thumb. Indeed, it is known that some players have cut out the hand portion of the palm for improved feel of the stick. However, this is illegal, as it leaves the palm of a player's hand exposed and therefore susceptible to injury. It is therefore desirable to provide a protective glove that provides a player with improved feel of the stick and improved ventilation without rendering the glove illegal.